February 9, 2010

If I could draw, I'd make a superhero whose special power was super nunchi. He'd sit at the table, say between Israel and Palestine, and use his super nunchi to understand where each side was coming from, what each side wanted. He'd use his super empathy, so each side knew felt what they felt, and they'd both feel heard. Then he'd weigh the balance with his special sense of Korean justice, balancing the needs among the group over his own self-interest and create a story where both sides could see themselves in it. Might would be an option still because Koreans are practical. They've had to be.

At the of the day he'd withdraw into the shadows, and drink. Probably too much. Super nunchi wears on you but he'll fight as hard as he can not to give in - to black nunchi. These would be the local villains who try to destroy our superhero... An ancient halmoni made of flames, consumed by her anger. A villain in a suit, the dark king of his home, ruling with his fists. The perpetually lost, teenagers who can never find their way, who cause suffering to all those who come near. Black nunchi is the worst in those who know exactly what their power is worth, and use it for their own gain.